Pages

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Author #Interview: Lucian Barnes

Welcome to this week's author interview. I surely hope you all enjoy getting to know each author featured on my blog. I know I enjoy working with each one of them. For this week, I'd like to welcome Lucian Barnes, author of Desolace.

1. Please tell the readers a bit more about
you.

I have
dabbled with writing for as long as I can remember. Back when I was very young,
I wrote short stories that were mainly mysteries. As I grew older, the ideas
that I got for stories began to evolve. Sadly, the stories that I started to
write as a young adult were never completed. I worked too many hours to find the
time to finish them and I didn’t have the support that I do now. Since 2010,
those around me began to encourage me to get back to my writing. I used this
support as motivation to get back into my writing. As a result, I now have one
book published and another that will soon be as well.

2. What types of books do you write?

My first
published work is an epic fantasy series that has elements of other genres
intertwined into the story. The story also contains paranormal, horror, and
science fiction. Outside of the series, I write mainly horror
stories.

3. Who's your main audience?

This is a
tough question to define for me. I feel like anyone could potentially be my main
audience. Anyone that enjoys having their pants scared off them fit the bill
nicely.

4. When it comes to writing- what are your strong
points? What are your weaknesses?

From what
I’ve been told, my strongest point in writing is developing villains. People
seem to enjoy the darkness and evil that I create. As for a weakness, I would
have to say that writing in such a way that younger readers can also enjoy my
work would be my biggest obstacle. I have a tendency to get a little too graphic
for those types of readers.

5. What do you think of this term- Writer's Block?
How do you overcome it?

I despise
the term as I have been no stranger to it in the past. Key phrase here is “the
past.” How I overcame having to deal with Writer’s Block was by setting a
writing schedule for myself. Monday through Friday I work on my writing.
Saturdays and Sundays I set my writing aside and don’t even look at it. Since I
started allowing myself the weekend to “recharge”, I haven’t had a single
incidence of Writer’s Block.

6. How many books have you written?

Two.

7. How many are published?

One at
the moment. Although, it is in the process of being reworked and will likely be
released again as a second edition. My second book should be published shortly
after that.

8. Are you self published or traditionally
published?

Up until
recently I was only self published. I have recently began working with
Wingfeather Books though. They will be putting out the “second edition” of my
first book and also publishing my second.

9. What's the hardest part of the writing process for
you?

Staying
focused on my writing and not allowing ordinary day to day things to interrupt
my train of thought.

10. What type of books do you enjoy
reading?

Mainly, I
enjoy reading horror novels. Although, reading from a variety of genres can be a
welcomed change of pace as well.

11. Who's your favorite Author?

Without a
doubt it would be Stephen King.

12. What's your all time favorite
book?

I am hard pressed to
come up with a single book, but I suppose if I were forced to choose it would
have to be “The Dark Half” by Stephen King.

13.
How long does it take you to write a book?

Actual time spent writing, from start to
finish, would be around four or five months. If you take into account everyday
distractions and interruptions it would likely be closer to six
months.

14.
Out of all of your characters, which is your favorite? Why?

As a fan of the so-called “bad guys” in
literature I would have to say that George Mancini is my favorite that I’ve
written. I say this because I relish writing about a seemingly average type of
person that I can twist into a person that scares the hell out of
people.

15.
What is one of the most surprising things you've learned as a writer?

That there is a lot more work involved in
the process than I had ever imagined. People think that being a writer is all
fun and games. Sitting around in your pajamas all day and writing, while the
rest of society goes to their nine-to-five jobs. In fact, I spend nearly as much
time writing as I do marketing my work, doing research, and doing promotions to
try to get noticed. There are a considerably more people writing books today
than I would have ever thought before.

16.
What does your family think of your writing?

Until I actually published my first book,
I was basically told that I was wasting my time. Now that I have my first book
published they are much more supportive.

17.
What does your writing schedule look like?

Every week, between Monday and Friday, I try to
get as much writing done as possible. I will still spend time with marketing,
research, and promotions during these times as well, but I try to maintain a
balance between them. That way I am making steady progress on the project I am
working on at the time. Every Saturday and Sunday I give my work some distance
and let my mind unravel and relax. This has been the most productive way for me
to write since I buckled down and got serious with it.

18. Do
you manage to write every day?

I do my best to write, at least something,
during the time I have set aside for myself to write. Some days are better than
others, but I like to shoot for getting 5,000 words “on paper” each week.
Sometimes I struggle to reach that goal and other times I manage to reach that
goal in a couple days.

19.
What's the latest news you'd like to share?

My first book, Desolace, is currently
being reworked for a second edition release. Also, the second book of my series,
Haven, is going to the editor soon. Haven should be getting released in late
November or possibly early December. Beyond that, I am trying to decide which of
my three works-in-progress will get my attention
next.

20. Do
you have any advice for new writers?

Never give up! If you are like me, writing
is more about getting the story out of your head and sharing it with others. It
is very improbable that you will become a best-selling author overnight, so
enjoying what you do will go a long ways to offsetting the frustration of low
sales figures.

Here
are the links to my fan page on Facebook and my Amazon Author
page.